World Bank, Kaduna capture 40,000 girls for AGILE life-skills training

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

The World Bank and the Kaduna State government have captured 40,000 adolescent girls through a structured life-skills education programme, known as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), to promote education.

Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, who disclosed this during a workshop in Abuja, at the weekend, said Governor Uba Sani would present an Executive Bill to the State House of Assembly to make life skills education a mandatory and permanent component of the state’s secondary school curriculum.

He said the life skills programme is being implemented under the World Bank–supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project and has so far reached 40,536 girls and 1,864 boys, with 1,141 teachers trained as mentors across senior secondary schools in the state.

Speaking further, Sambo said the administration was committed to moving education beyond academic outcomes to building emotional intelligence, resilience, leadership skills and social responsibility, particularly among girls.

He explained that the reform represents a shift from a traditional “thinking approach” to education to a more holistic “doing and feeling” model, designed to better prepare students to navigate real-world challenges.

According to him, the life skills curriculum covers modules on empowerment, health and nutrition, reproductive health, prevention of gender-based violence, climate change and social inclusion. He added that early results included improved confidence among students, reduced absenteeism, increased enrolment and positive behavioural changes, including greater respect and empathy among learners.

The AGILE State Project Coordinator, Maryam Dangaji, said the programme had been implemented across senior secondary schools in Kaduna. On his part, Executive Director of the Centre for Girls’ Education, Dr Habiba Mohammed, described Kaduna’s approach as a “benchmark for sustainable, girl-child-focused education reform.”